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paulabrandon's review against another edition
1.0
I've read The Killing Kind and The White Road by this author and enjoyed them both. The former, in particular, I remember, was creepy and suspenseful. However, I read those books some 15 years or so ago, and maybe my tastes have changed? I don't know.
Because The Reapers is fucking terrible.
Maybe it's to do with the fact that our protagonists, Louis and Angel, a gay hitman couple, were only supporting characters in the previous books. Here, they take central stage. It is always dangerous to make an interesting side character the main character. It's the reason I won't read Win by Harlan Coben. Sociopathic, self-absorbed Win is entertaining in the Myron Bolitar books, but I'm not interested in a whole book from his point of view.
But the problem here is that Louis (in particular) and Angel never really came to life despite supposedly being the focus of the book. We get flashbacks (whole chapters in an annoying italics font) to Louis growing up and how he became part of a group of assassins known as The Reapers, but no real idea of what makes his relationship with Angel so strong. The idea of two gay men, who are people of colour, working in the world of hitmen, is an interesting concept - and not explored one bit here! Their relationship is so chaste they may well have been life-long buddies, not a romantic partnership. What a wasted opportunity.
The plot is a complete bore. An assassin is out for revenge against Louis for a past wrong. He has teamed up with a dying millionaire who also wants revenge on Louis for the death of his son. After more than 200 pages, Louis and Angel are lured to a town owned by said millionaire, as a familiar tale of assassins and other thugs double-crossing and killing each other transpires.
Not only is it a bad, boring book, but it is actually badly written as well. We get five-page histories of buildings. We get an EIGHT PAGE description of Louis and Angel's apartment - and none of the story even takes place there! What was the fucking point of that? We get life histories for characters that barely hang around. This is still happening 383 pages into a 450 page book! This happens so often that Louis and Angel barely feel like main characters as it is! Point of view will jump from character to character within the same paragraph, sometimes even to a character who isn't even present in the scene! Old tropes like a character describing their appearance while looking into a mirror even pop up.
Basically, a 150 page familiar assassins-killing-each-other tale is padded out beyond belief to more than 450 pages, draining the entire thing of any pacing or suspense.
It's lucky that [b:Following the Wake|1439474|Following the Wake|Gemma O'Connor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309207006l/1439474._SY75_.jpg|1430065] was such a stinker that it's hard for anything to be worse, because there have unfortunately been many contenders for worst book I've read this year, and this would definitely rank right up (down?) there.
Because The Reapers is fucking terrible.
Maybe it's to do with the fact that our protagonists, Louis and Angel, a gay hitman couple, were only supporting characters in the previous books. Here, they take central stage. It is always dangerous to make an interesting side character the main character. It's the reason I won't read Win by Harlan Coben. Sociopathic, self-absorbed Win is entertaining in the Myron Bolitar books, but I'm not interested in a whole book from his point of view.
But the problem here is that Louis (in particular) and Angel never really came to life despite supposedly being the focus of the book. We get flashbacks (whole chapters in an annoying italics font) to Louis growing up and how he became part of a group of assassins known as The Reapers, but no real idea of what makes his relationship with Angel so strong. The idea of two gay men, who are people of colour, working in the world of hitmen, is an interesting concept - and not explored one bit here! Their relationship is so chaste they may well have been life-long buddies, not a romantic partnership. What a wasted opportunity.
The plot is a complete bore. An assassin is out for revenge against Louis for a past wrong. He has teamed up with a dying millionaire who also wants revenge on Louis for the death of his son. After more than 200 pages, Louis and Angel are lured to a town owned by said millionaire, as a familiar tale of assassins and other thugs double-crossing and killing each other transpires.
Not only is it a bad, boring book, but it is actually badly written as well. We get five-page histories of buildings. We get an EIGHT PAGE description of Louis and Angel's apartment - and none of the story even takes place there! What was the fucking point of that? We get life histories for characters that barely hang around. This is still happening 383 pages into a 450 page book! This happens so often that Louis and Angel barely feel like main characters as it is! Point of view will jump from character to character within the same paragraph, sometimes even to a character who isn't even present in the scene! Old tropes like a character describing their appearance while looking into a mirror even pop up.
Basically, a 150 page familiar assassins-killing-each-other tale is padded out beyond belief to more than 450 pages, draining the entire thing of any pacing or suspense.
It's lucky that [b:Following the Wake|1439474|Following the Wake|Gemma O'Connor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309207006l/1439474._SY75_.jpg|1430065] was such a stinker that it's hard for anything to be worse, because there have unfortunately been many contenders for worst book I've read this year, and this would definitely rank right up (down?) there.
bldownunder's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this - a side storyline following Louis and Angel, brilliant and sad and beautifully written
gabmc's review against another edition
3.0
Although this is book 7 of the Charlie Parker series, we only see him intermittently. This book tells a bit more of the back story on Louis, one of Gabriel's 'Reapers' - highly trained and specialised killers for hire. Louis and his partner, Angel, are long-time friends of Charlie Parker and always there for him when he needs them. This time, the tables are a bit turned as Louis and Angel are called in to eliminate a man who is the long time enemy of a new client. One thing I really found interesting about this book was learning more of the history of black Americans in the Deep South - a horrible history but one we should not forget.
lovesresqdogs's review against another edition
Not really my favorite kind of book to read and took me a very long time to finish it.
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book. Connolly’s descriptions make me laugh out loud, and the story keeps me riveted.
feastofblaze's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lyerin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The first Charlie Parker that is not told from Charlie’s point of view. While I wanted more Charlie, a book focused on Louis was great. The book is extremely sad, but it gives further insight into Louis’s complicated backstory. I continue to love Angel and Louis as characters. Jackie Garner and the Fulcis are always a great addition to any story. They are precious chaos.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! This time around Charlie Parker isn't in the scene quite so much. It's more about his associates, Louis and Angel. The reader gets a good look at Louis' background and what makes him tick. Excellent.
leebass7's review against another edition
2.0
The first Charlie Parker book that made me bored. This one is more of a thriller with the horror and supernatural elements missing entirely, which is a shame because that’s what makes this series so unique and interesting.
We get a bit more insight into Angel and Louis’ relationship which is nice, and a lot more into Louis’ background and journey to being a killer for hire. These were the best parts.
The usual twists and turns of narrative and gradual uncovering of clues aren’t present, settling into more of a clear cut revenge story. Which makes sense since the focus is on Louis who isn’t a detective, but it’s not what I read these books for.
Even the antagonist, Bliss, is a pretty boring character. Nothing compared to previous bad guys like Mr Pudd, the Collector, Brightwell, the Reverend etc. He’s a contract killer seeking revenge… and that’s pretty much it. You get his character just from reading the blurb.
The same goes for the cast of supporting characters, I found them quite forgettable. The auto shop guys all seemed to blur into one, having the same gruff older man personality.
A rare misstep in this series, I’m hoping The Lovers is a return to form!
We get a bit more insight into Angel and Louis’ relationship which is nice, and a lot more into Louis’ background and journey to being a killer for hire. These were the best parts.
The usual twists and turns of narrative and gradual uncovering of clues aren’t present, settling into more of a clear cut revenge story. Which makes sense since the focus is on Louis who isn’t a detective, but it’s not what I read these books for.
Even the antagonist, Bliss, is a pretty boring character. Nothing compared to previous bad guys like Mr Pudd, the Collector, Brightwell, the Reverend etc. He’s a contract killer seeking revenge… and that’s pretty much it. You get his character just from reading the blurb.
The same goes for the cast of supporting characters, I found them quite forgettable. The auto shop guys all seemed to blur into one, having the same gruff older man personality.
A rare misstep in this series, I’m hoping The Lovers is a return to form!